


the aftercare problem

by sparkycap



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Kink Negotiation, Light BDSM, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Sort Of, lots of talking about feelings, past bad BDSM etiquette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29167785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkycap/pseuds/sparkycap
Summary: When Zag and Meg's bickering finally starts to affect her and Than's excellent working relationship, Than gets to the bottom of what really happened between them years ago.
Relationships: Past Megaera/Zagreus - Relationship, Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), endgame Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus
Comments: 3
Kudos: 107





	the aftercare problem

**Author's Note:**

> tragically this fic is finished but it might not FEEL finished because I was working up to a sex scene that I then lost all desire to write. I'm just saying that upfront so no one gets their hopes up. I'd feel worse about it if plenty of other people hadn't already done the lord's work and wrote fic of Than and Meg domming Zag together, but it's out there, folks. enjoy!

“Meg! You’re looking lovely as ever. I mean, your hair is… is it even bluer than usual?”

“Fuck off and die, Zagreus.”

* * *

“Oh, Meg, will you be joining us for dinner? Joining Father, that is, but if you don’t want to stay in this stodgy old dining room with him, Than and I were just—”

“Now why would I want to ruin a perfectly nice evening with Thanatos?”

“What? No, you wouldn’t be ruining anything! I’d love—”

“No, I mean, why would I ruin the pleasure of Thanatos’s company with yours? I’ll see him another time.”

* * *

“You know, Megaera, one of these times you really will have to forgive me.”

“Forgiving you would involve thinking of you at all, Zagreus, and I have so many better things to do.”

* * *

“Hey, Meg, got a little something for you. From that coffee place you like. There’s this agave syrup—oh, now it’s in the trash. Well, that’s going to leak.”

* * *

“Oh, it’s you.” Megaera turns away from the reception desk, which is a shame because she’d looked particularly lovely leaning over it to talk to Dusa. Her cobalt blue dress is short and tight and draped over only one shoulder, so Zagreus is free to drool over at least one of her impressively muscled arms. Not that he would. He’s a gentleman.

“It’s me,” he says, mustering up twice the usual amount of cheer to compensate for Meg’s imminent smackdown. “Just here to see Than. This coffee is for him, so please don’t knock it into the trash this time.”

She rolls her eyes. “Thanatos doesn’t even like coffee. I knew you were a bad boyfriend, Zagreus, but really, these are just the basics.”

Ouch. Hitting him where it hurts today. He knows he’s made a lot of mistakes, some of which he’s still making up to Thanatos in particular, but gift-giving is kind of his thing. He takes pride in it. Hypnos calls it his love language. He clutches the to-go cup closer to his chest and says, “I know that. I only said coffee out of habit, since it’s from a coffee shop, and whatnot. This is tea. Some of us don’t like to waste drinks.”

“Get over it, Zagreus.” Meg dismisses him, her signature high ponytail flicking pointedly through the air as she turns back to Dusa. The color of her hair is such a soft periwinkle, but it’s always gathered up so severely tight. It’s hot, don’t get him wrong, but he can’t help remembering the way it looked loose around her bare shoulders and against his deep purple comforter.

He swallows hard. Than. He’s here for Than.

Normally he’d take the stairs, too much restless energy to withstand a whole elevator ride standing still, but he doesn’t want his boyfriend’s tea to get cold. Because he’s _not_ a bad boyfriend, thanks very much.

Than is at his desk, wearing those cute silver glasses that are supposed to help block blue light but mostly make him look extra busy and smart and important. Which makes it all the more gratifying when he sees Zagreus and immediately removes them, folds them carefully and sets them on his desk, and stands. His gray suit jacket is slung over the back of his desk chair, leaving him in just a purple tie and rolled up sleeves, because today is a paperwork-and-grind day, no meetings or clients or anything to look presentable for, though he looks _more_ than presentable. Presentable enough to make Zag want to crawl under his desk and reward him for all his hard work.

Which is not the kind of pick-me-up he’s here to give. He remembers himself and thrusts out the cup. “I brought you tea.”

“As we discussed,” Than says, pausing to consider him. “Is everything all right, Zag?”

“Oh, you know me,” he says airily. “Just causing trouble wherever I go.”

The corners of Than’s mouth turn slightly upward, which is the Thanatos-equivalent of a warm and loving smile. A little bit of Zag’s ever-present restlessness eases out of him. Thanatos steps closer, reaching out to take the cup of tea, his fingers dragging slowly over Zag’s in a sweet caress as he does. “Thank you. You’re kind to do this.”

“Selfish, really,” Zagreus says. “You know I just want to see you. And it’s not as if I have anything better to do in the middle of a workday, being the unemployed, unemployable, aimless dropout that I am.”

Than stops in the middle of drawing back to a respectable distance. Instead he leans against the desk behind him, lingering in Zag’s personal space, taking a sip of tea to make it look casual while his eyes dart out to the hall. He likes to keep things very proper in the workplace, probably because Zag’s father is his boss. Not that Hades disapproves of the relationship—or, he does, but only because he thinks his son isn’t good enough for his best employee, rather than the other way around.

“That’s the second disparaging comment you’ve made about yourself since you walked in here ninety seconds ago,” Than says, low and intimate in the scant space between them. “Do I need to ask you again if you’re all right?”

“I’m fine, Than,” he says, automatically soothing before he stops to consider whether it’s true. He grimaces. “Well. I ran into Meg in the lobby. She was talking to Dusa, and then she was talking to me, and… things were said.”

“Dusa? Hypnos is supposed to be on duty at reception right now.” Thanatos visibly reins his mind back from work and his errant brother. “No, that’s not the point. What did she say? I was under the impression you typically enjoyed your little verbal sparring matches.”

Zagreus flushes, because the one time they’d discussed that _impression_ of Than’s, his boyfriend had casually mentioned how interesting he found it that Zag clearly had a bit of a _thing_ for humiliation when he also had a vast and unending need for praise and positive attention. He clears his throat. “I do. I mean, it’s the only way she’ll talk to me, so even if I didn’t, I’d suck it up. But I do. It was just… something she said.”

“Zagreus.” Than’s voice is warm and fond. “Please, get on with it. My break is only so long.”

“She called me a bad boyfriend. I mean, it was only a misunderstanding, because she thought I brought you coffee without knowing that you didn’t like coffee, but I guess that’s still a bit of a sore spot, after…”

After last year, when he and Than had first been starting to drift together in a blatantly romantic capacity, even though neither of them put a label on it or even quite realized it, and then Zagreus had a huge fight with his father and promptly left for Greece to find his long-lost mother without saying goodbye to anyone he loved. Thanatos found him in the airport like they were in some kind of romantic comedy, but instead of a dramatic, heartwarming scene, Zagreus had his second bitter fight of the day, that time with someone who meant a lot more to him than his father. Because he’d been a bad friend and unspoken-more-than-a-friend. They hadn’t truly fixed things until his mother sent him away, and he became too pathetic for Than to stay mad at any longer.

Now things are good with his mother, marginally less terrible with his father, and near-perfect with Than… and somehow worse than ever with Megaera.

“Well,” Thanatos says, “unfortunately, as I said, my break is only so long, so I don’t have the time to list _all_ of the ways in which she’s wrong. There are simply too many.”

Zagreus laughs. “Oh, you charmer, you.”

Thanatos sets the tea on his desk and stands up straight. Zagreus briefly misses being nearly the same height as him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Megaera.”

“What? No, absolutely not. I didn’t come running up here to _tell_ on her, I was just… a little thrown off. I wouldn’t have even brought it up, if you hadn’t—”

“Zagreus. I know. I’d like to talk to her for my sake, not yours. As you know, we have an excellent working relationship, something which I treasure, and I feel that in order to maintain it, I need to… clear the air with her, so to speak. If that makes you uncomfortable, of course, I won’t.”

“Oh.” Zag rocks back on his heels, sticking his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. “Well. I suppose not. I’m sorry to have… caused trouble between you.”

Thanatos shakes his head, clearly exasperated for some reason Zag can’t comprehend. He thinks he’s being very understanding and accommodating here. Not that he truly cares, because Than ducks down to kiss him briefly on the mouth, and he will be as exasperating as needed if kisses are his punishment. Then, even more baffling and possibly even more welcome, Than takes the time to press another long kiss to his forehead, squeezing his arm and moving away just as a pair of voices that sound like Nyx and Hypnos having another of their mother-son workplace boundaries talks becomes audible at the end of the hall.

Than is back sitting behind his desk with his glasses on and his tea going cold before Zagreus manages to gather up the warm puddle of goo that his legs have turned into and move an inch. He gives another soft, secret smile and says, “You’re no trouble, Zag. See you at home.”

* * *

_From: Meg_

_Did you seriously tattle to your boyfriend? Your loss. Now I have to buy him a drink, so don’t expect him home on time tonight._

* * *

Than is not home on time. He’s home exactly an hour later than he usually is, a troubled look on his face. He disappears into their bedroom, undoing his tie with slow, thoughtful movements, and then sitting on the edge of the bed and unlacing his shoes in the same manner.

He’s got something on his mind. That’s all.

 _You have to be okay with his silence_ , Zagreus thinks to himself. It’s a regular mantra. _Don’t be a needy brat. It doesn’t mean he’s mad at you_.

Finally, Than has changed into evening-appropriate loungewear and made his way to the kitchen for their typical weeknight ritual where he pretends he’s going to be a responsible adult and cook dinner, and then Zagreus persuades him to order in and spend the bonus time making out on the couch instead. He clears his throat. “So—”

Thanatos holds up a hand. “I already ordered from that Indian place you like, I’m just getting a glass of water. I have some questions that you are in no way obligated to answer.”

“Oh.” Zagreus hesitates a moment longer, but then he moves across their small kitchen to join his boyfriend at the sink while his glass fills. Thanatos uses his free hand to absentmindedly pet his hair like he’s a dog, which finally convinces the terribly childlike voice in the back of Zag’s head that Than isn’t mad at him just because he came home late and didn’t speak for all of five minutes. And also just feels really nice.

A feeling which is slightly diminished when Than asks, “What happened between you and Megaera? I’m aware that you dated briefly, that it was more sex than anything else, and that you, quote, ‘said something stupid and immature that pissed her the hell off, end quote, and now the two of you can’t seem to get along.”

Zagreus is not a person that likes saying no to his boyfriend, or his friends, or really anyone other than his father, but he also doesn’t love this line of questioning. Thinking of that night with Megaera still makes his stomach hurt years later, mostly because he still can’t quite pinpoint what he did wrong. He knows what he _said_ , yes, but what got them to the point of trading such grievances in the first place?

“Look,” he says finally, “I can get along with Meg. I mean, I can be nicer to her. Or I can just stop coming to bother you at work, and then it won’t matter.”

“That didn’t answer my question,” Than says mildly. “Is that your way of saying that you don’t want to answer?”

“I… no. It’s just not that easy to talk about, I suppose.”

“For her as well, it seems.”

“Wait… is that why you went out with her tonight? To ask her what she thinks happened?”

Than looks away, a sure sign that the answer is yes and that he’s a little bit embarrassed about it. “I know that I’ve… cautioned you against getting involved in others’ personal relationships, in the past.”

He laughs, both because it’s funny and to encourage his boyfriend to stop looking so guilty. “Which time? When I altered the language in Orpheus’s contract so he could sing with Eurydice again before asking either of them if they even wanted to get the band back together, let alone their marriage? Or when I shredded Achilles’s lease with my father so he could move back in with Patroclus? Or maybe when I got Mother Nyx back in touch with your grandparent just last month?”

“That’s different,” Than protests. “Mother asked for your help there.”

Zag shrugs. “Only after she found out I’d already been in contact with them for weeks.”

“And you say you’re unemployed. Someone ought to be paying you for all this hard work, meddling.”

“Truly, I am underappreciated.”

“Truly. Regardless, I’m aware that your relationship with Megaera is none of my business, but today… it seemed like it’s starting to significantly affect your overall happiness, and that… that is my business.” Thanatos moves abruptly away from the kitchen counter and in the direction of the living room without looking at Zagreus, and Zag lets him get away with running away because that was such an impressively verbal display of affection. They are so killing it at this whole communication thing.

In the spirit of that, he follows Than to the couch and says, “It’s not that I don’t want you to know what happened between us, it’s just embarrassing. I acted… childishly. I was still living with my father, so Meg didn’t often stay over after we’d… well. As you can imagine, clingy cuddler that I am, I didn’t love that, but I respected her preference, and then one day… the next day, after we’d hooked up the night before, I… believe I said something melodramatic about her liking to use me as a toy and then throw me away. She responded by saying I needed to get my abandonment issues in check, to which I said that it wouldn’t be a problem, because I didn’t want to see her anymore. I tried to apologize… not long after, but she said I had to learn to live with my choices.”

“Wait… that’s _it_?” Thanatos leans back against the corner of the couch, brow pinched. “That’s the whole story?”

“Well, yes. It’s not as if there’s some deep, dark secret. We’re both just… still holding onto our pride, I suppose.” Zagreus can’t stand it any longer, getting back to his feet, but he only manages to pace one lap around the coffee table before Than catches his hand and tugs him back down onto the couch beside him, this time much closer than before.

His hand finds its way back to Zag’s hair and sinks in. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Zag, but I’ve never known you to have much trouble with your pride. You’re given more to abandoning it completely in order to bash your head against a brick wall until it breaks.”

“Is that not what I’m doing with Meg?” he says wryly. “Besides, you say that as if pride isn’t where half my stubbornness comes from.”

Than hums, his mind clearly elsewhere. All this had happened not long after Than left for university, Zagreus still with his last year of high school to finish and Meg in college closer to home, which Zagreus privately thinks might have had something to do with his abrupt intolerance for Meg leaving even just for the night.

“And the… hookup… the night before. Was that typical?” Than asks.

“As it ever was, with us.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, you know how Meg is. We tended to get a little rough. She’d smack me, pull my hair, I’d beg for more, that sort of thing.” He cranes his neck to get a glimpse of Than’s face, but his shoulder is really quite the comfortable pillow and he doesn’t want to risk dislodging his massaging hand. “Though, now that you mention it, I do think that night might have been the first time she tied me up.”

“She did that and then left straight after?” There’s a new edge in Than’s voice that he doesn’t really love, so he shifts around to burrow into his soft sweater and hide from it.

“Yes,” he mumbles. “But we agreed ahead of time that she would, so I really don’t know why I overreacted.”

Than’s hand tightens in his hair, and his other arm settles into place like a safety bar across Zag’s shoulders. “Zagreus, have you ever thought about that night in the context of what you know now about that kind of scene?”

It takes him a moment to realize what kind of scene Than’s talking about. “No, of course not, we were practically… it was just kids messing around not a… scene… oh. It was totally a scene, wasn’t it?”

“I think, regardless of what language you had for it back then, that when your girlfriend tied you up and slapped you during sex, you probably needed more aftercare than you got, yes. I would imagine that’s what caused the emotional instability in the both of you the next day.” Than rests his chin against the top of his head, effectively caging him in the rest of the way, in the good way.

“Damn,” he says softly. His mind is spinning, and not in the good way. Never thought he’d say this, but it probably is a good thing he’s already sitting down. Looking at it this way doesn’t actually change anything about his current relationship with Meg, but it does, possibly, mean that he didn’t do as much wrong as he thought he did. Which is more important to him than he wants it to be. But maybe they were just too young and stupid to know better.

A knock on the door signals the arrival of their dinner, and Zagreus drags himself away from his boyfriend before Thanatos has to feel guilty about his pathological need to be punctual and tip well.

He heads for the kitchen to gather plates and cutlery, and when Than comes back to start laying the food on the small kitchen table, he says, “Can I ask a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Would you be willing to talk to Meg about this too? I’d like to see if we could get past it, now that it’s finally… understandable, but I’m not sure we’d get very far talking about it ourselves.”

Than rests a hand on his back just briefly as he passes, which Zag knows means yes, because he is _not a bad boyfriend_.

* * *

_From: Than_

_I’m going to bring Megaera home with me tonight, if you’re still interested in getting past it._

* * *

Despite Meg’s excellent working relationship with Than, as they’re both so fond of calling it, she’s never been to the new apartment. It’s surreal to see her walk into their living room in her shiny gold boots and puffy-sleeved tuxedo dress, but it’s even stranger to see her long hair held halfway back with only a simple braid and her bright pink lipstick conspicuously faded.

“Zagreus,” she says, sitting in the only armchair like she owns it. “Do you really just sit around here all day like some kind of trophy husband?”

“Of course not,” Zag says. “We’re not married yet, and you know how I feel about sitting.”

Thanatos comes back from the kitchen with three glasses masterfully balanced in his hands, all of them disappointingly non-alcoholic. He hands one to Meg. “Play nicely, children. We’re here to bury a hatchet.”

Meg straightens up with a sigh. “He’s right. It turns out that I owe you an apology.”

Zagreus blinks. He stops pacing for a moment before picking it up faster. He thinks better on his feet, and better still when he’s moving. “Are you serious? Just that easy?”

“Trust me, nothing about this is easy,” Meg says. “But Thanatos and I had a chat, and I… _ugh_. What happened between us is not something I ever looked back on with anything other than vague contempt, so I didn’t realize just how irresponsible it was of me as a dominant. Of course, I didn’t know that’s what I was _being_ back then, but now that I do… well, it’s not something I would ever do now, and if I did, you’d be well within your rights to insult me the way you did.”

“Oh.” He looks to Than for his typical brand of borderline-condescending support, but Than is still silent in the doorway to the kitchen, watching him carefully. “Well… I do appreciate the apology, though I don’t recall actually hearing one. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry too.”

“Did I not just say that it was my fault?” Meg crosses her arms; she’s the only one who could get more offended by an apology.

“Yes, but you’re wrong. Aftercare, as I am constantly reminding Than, goes both ways. I was just as much at fault for not properly negotiating our… you know, our entire relationship.”

“And ultimately, you were both children, so dwelling on blame is a fruitless endeavor,” Than says. “Megaera and I came up with a far more productive plan on the way home.”

“You did? You… oh. _Oh_.” Zag would like to sound a bit more articulate, but Meg has started unbuttoning her dress to reveal underthings that make him think she must have stopped and changed on the way home. She stops once she reaches her navel, one eyebrow raised in question.

Thanatos offers her a hand to her feet. “If you’re interested, Zagreus, I’d suggest we move to the bedroom now.”

“Are you seriously suggesting we have a threesome with my ex-girlfriend right now?” Zagreus asks.

“What better way to forgive and forget than a do-over?” Megaera drawls.

Zag slowly gravitates toward them. “So how would this… go, exactly?”

“Obviously, that is up for negotiation,” Than says. He steps closer and casually curls a hand around the back of Zag’s neck as if that’s not nearly more than Zag can deal with right now. “But my thought was to show Megaera just how comfortable you are these days with being tied down, and then she and I could… improvise, a bit.”

Zag swallows hard. “Solid plan.”

Meg’s smile is like a shark’s. “Then lead the way, boys.”


End file.
